Wayne Rooney kept his cool at Ibrox to slot home a late penalty and book United’s place in the Champions League knockout phase.
It was hardly a perfect performance from the no.10 (or United for that matter), but on his first start in almost two months the Englishman scored the only goal of a game in which the Reds had struggled to assert supremacy.
Indeed, it had appeared the game would fizzle out into another 0-0 draw, but when Steven Naismith felled Fabio inside the penalty area as the Brazilian headed goalwards, referee Massimo Busacca pointed immediately to the spot. Rooney stepped up and did the rest.
Sir Alex’s men had arrived in Glasgow without first-choice centre-backs Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, but the back four of John O’Shea, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Fabio, a combination that had never previously taken to the pitch, repelled all Rangers could throw at them. That wasn’t much.
Playing at Ibrox, that famous cauldron of partisan ferocity, Rangers might have been expected to show more adventure. But the home team’s ambition amounted to little more than sporadic counter-attacks, meaning Sir Alex's men are now just one match away from becoming the first team to navigate the Champions League group stage without conceding a goal.
The Reds enjoyed plenty of possession in the early exchanges and Paul Scholes probed for openings from the first whistle.
Source : Man Utd
